The publicized mishaps — they shouldn't be called scandals — in recent years by Air Force and Navy personnel in charge of nuclear weapons give the White House and Congress a chance to rethink the U.S. deterrence mission before returning airmen to those buried missile silos or sending sailors off on new strategic submarine patrols. On Friday, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced plans to spend billions over the next five years to remedy what he called "systemic problems" in the U.S. nuclear deterrent. That consists of more than 2,000 land- and sub-launched missile warheads and bombs on hundreds of aging delivery systems. The United States also plans to...

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The publicized mishaps — they shouldn't be called scandals — in recent years by Air Force and Navy personnel in charge of nuclear weapons give the White House and Congress a chance to rethink the U.S. deterrence mission before returning airmen to those...

Maybe it is time for a shake-up.President Obama's second-term staffing was always going to be a risk. He abandoned his first term's team of rivals for a closer-knit team of loyalists. The bet was that he was assured enough in the job to no longer need the...

Before the world witnessed the full force of the Islamic State's brutality in the video this past week showing American journalist James Foley's murder, a different video revealed another kind of destruction the terrorist group is bent on inflicting.
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BRUSSELS —The United States joined NATO and Poland Wednesday in warning about the risk of Russia sending troops into Ukraine after saying President Vladimir Putin massed soldiers on his country's western border. Russia said the reports of its military...

President Obama's pick to be his U.S. Defense Secretary may have a particularly difficult time winning over one Pennsylvania GOP senator.
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NATO defense ministers agreed Thursday to more than double the size of the alliance's Response Force and create a new quick-reaction force of 5,000 troops to meet simultaneous challenges from Russia and Islamic extremists. NATO Secretary-General Jens...

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Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Thursday his resignation last week was not prompted by "major differences" with President Barack Obama, pushing back against statements that he had been fired or quit due to White House...

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Clifford Sloan, the State Department envoy responsible for negotiating prisoner transfers from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is resigning, officials said on Monday. The surprise announcement of Sloan's departure followed a flurry of...

Sexual assaults reported by U.S. military troops rose 8 percent in 2014 amid signs that victims are increasingly confident about reporting the attacks, defense officials said on Wednesday ahead of the formal release of the annual figures. Defense...

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel resigned on Monday, leaving under pressure as President Barack Obama faces critical national security challenges, including fighting Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and revising plans to exit Afghanistan.
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